By Deb Murphy
Today, Dawndee Rossy turned down the settlement offer of eight years in state prison made Wednesday by Inyo County District Attorney Tom Hardy. Rossy is on trial for allegedly embezzling $1.5 million from the county Department of Health and Human Services Public Assistance Program.
Dawndee Rossy
The trial has been continued until February 22, allowing appointed Judge Phillip Argento time to research a legal issue that was brought up Thursday morning.
Hardy and defense attorney David Evans agreed to a stipulation, but Rossy did not agree. The legal issue is whether a stipulation could be accepted by the court if both attorneys agreed but the defendant did not. He told the court he had run into a similar issue once in the last 30 years and needed time to do the legal research.
Hardy read portions of the stipulation into the court record, identifying 13 individuals, living either out of the area or out of state. The stipulation is that those alleged victims did not receive assistance from nor did they live in Inyo County during the time frame the crimes are alleged to have been committed.
If Argento rules that the defendant has to agree, Hardy will have to make arrangements to call those witnesses. “While arranging to bring in the witnesses,” he said, “we may need more time” beyond February 22. Hardy also withdrew the settlement offer.
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Guess what Roy? There was no paper trail! Nothing, zilch, zero!! Now what?
Maddawg….no paper trail ?…..are you following the same Rossy case as the rest of us are here ??
Why are we still paying extra taxes for a hospital ( Southern Inyo) and paramedics? Why are we fined for other people’s thievery? Is this so they have something to steal? We want justice not apologies. An apology is not an accountability.
This is a widespread problem in our local court system.
Crooks get away with stealing in Inyo county. Who lets this happen? Who profits from this?
Good for her! I do not know if she is guilty or not. I know how lazy detectives can be. And, I am really questioning the convictions of these women over the last few years over white collar crimes, and yet your friendly neighborhood pedophile in Crowley Lake, Joe Walker is out and about after a couple years. Makes me sick.
Maureen, I wish I could “like” your comment more than once. I really question
the general population thinking they are civilized.
Joe Walker is out? Seriously?
Wondering, Yes. With a mild slap on the wrist- to me it magnifies the
disparity between various civil crimes and the twisted felony
committed by walker.
In all my years of investigating hundreds of embezzlement and fraud cases I always loved it when questioning a suspect, I would ask then how they could explain the huge amount of money they were depositing in bank accounts, buying luxury items, credit card bills in the thousands, trips to Las Vegas etc. Not once did a suspect have a answer to justify their massive spending….In every case I ever investigated the paper trail,,, bank search warrants led to the conviction of the person responsible….
And in this case I’m sure the paper trail will be what leads to the eventuall conviction of the person involved in this case…
Hi Roy,
I am in San Diego right now dealing with my mother’s death. Since I am administrator of estate, I need to pay bills .One of the bills is from Health and Human Services. I have requested an itemized statement from Health and Human Services, and they refuse to give me one. I think it’s a little strange that they won’t give me an itemized statement; like, is there even a paper trail? I have asked the D.A. for help, but no one seems to care about it.
Do you have any ideas about how to go about getting an itemized statement out of these people?
Wish I could help you but I have never had a investigation that concerned health care. If you are referring to Medicare type claims I know they are very very slow…I just got in the mail yesterday a Medicare statement from services rendered 9 months ago…
If you should recall them demand to speak to a supervisor..
Thank you for your reply, Roy.
But, what if the money was spent on drugs?
Health and Human Resources is federal. Why is this being treated as a misdemeanor? A family affair ? These things happen in Inyo County. A continuing problem.
These are felony crimes not misdemeanors
Make her wear a sigh around her neck, and stand on main street, and face the public, and try to pay back the money.
Gee Lower Inyo, its almost like she has family in the Bishop justice system? But what do I know?
Trouble…..Don’t know about that,but the way our Justice system works nowdays,little wonder why crime runs rampid in the bigger cities and Nationwide…usually not much consequences for ones actions…lawyers able to plea-bargin down to nothing….just the other day watched a forensic files where a guy killed a girl,found guilty,sentenced to 35 years..out in 11…..and then went on to murder 3 more people in the next year or two, with robberies and burglaries along the way….now he’s claiming he’s “found God “,and looking to appeal his convictions,saying he was “set-up” by others because of his past criminal record….swell…..
I’m glad she is taking her case to trial, and she should. Maybe the truth will come out about what is really going on in Inyo County. Your county officials wont tell you, and even if they did, most of you would believe whatever you hear. I have respect for people who can stand up for themselves and make the District Attorney prove his case. Nobody else does. At least Ms. Rossy has the ability to think for herself. I admire her for that.
You bring up some good points Hailey. I believe our county is one of only a rare few that actually does not let our grand jury get involve with criminal justice. Giving our DA way to much control over our justice system in my personnel opinion.
Hailey…..or maybe it’s just continuing to put off the inevitable (if she is “allegedly) guilty..like what’s been going on with this case for the past two or three years…..if I were innocent of a crime,what I would do is want to go to trial quickly,clear my name,and get on with my life before it drags on and people make their own negative opinions about me..but if I were guilty,and facing jail time and restitution,I’d probably want to drag it on as long as I could with a lawyer that was able to work delay after delay….everyone is entitled to a quick trial if requested…..I think within 6 months of arrest….
Tinner- if I said something that is not true please correct me. If your comment is about your perception of my comment, we’ll then your providing nothing to this discussion of any substance.
I still believe we should only cage the violent.
Hey Trouble – I’m curious to know what you think the consequences or punishment should be for someone who, if found guilty, embezzled this much money? Obviously (well, hopefully obviously) the guilty party should have to re-pay the amount stolen plus interest. But what else should happen to them in order to deter others from this type of crime? If they just have to re-pay the money with no other punishment, then it’s like they took out an unauthorized “loan” from their employer. Loans are something many of us get legally….from a bank.
Just curious if you have any ideas for alternatives to putting the nonviolent guilty in a “cage”.
Glad you asked Curious. First off please keep in mind that I am only talking about none violent crimes.
Personally I dont see any good out of locking up or as I call it caging people to supposedly ” pay off their det to society “. Hell we all pay for that. But I would use caging as a last resort. Not in this case thou. She has family and to many other people are being punished when we take their loved ones away.So here is what I would do.
Take half her pay for the next ten years .
Require her work .
If unable to find work, Find it for her. Theirs plenty of parks and county funded bathrooms and fairs grounds that need extra help.
If she’s on some sort of welfare or social security i d take half of that.
Probably for the next ten years in this case.
I love this topic. Did you know in England they fine people according what they make for at least traffic offensives? I heard one rich dude got a million dollar fine for screwing around in his porche.
The way or system works now we the tax payers are working our butts off to pay over a million dollars to cage her for up to twenty years.
Curious….there would be a bevy of crimes allowed in “Troubles world” allowed with no jail or prison time to worry about……burglary and breaking into homes,as long as the burglar is lucky enough not to break into the wrong house when someone might be home and wake up during the break-in and take care of business himself..petty theft would be allowed…people could just walk into a store and take what they want without paying for it…vehicle theft..walk the streets…pick out a car or truck you like,start it up and drive away…DUI would be allowed ,as long as the drunk driver doesn’t have an accident and kill someone…but with that one,even if they did,they could always use the “afluenza ” defense when they went to trial and get away with some type of probation that wouldn’t later be enforced..maybe able to afford a good team of lawyers with their previous enbezzlement “loan”to pay for them…
Bernie Madoff’s sentence came out to 3 days per million dollars. 150 years total.
Hmmmm continued…..surprise surprise surprise….
She is making Inyo County spend even more money….
Forget about our jail system, make them Pay it back.
If she could live for 200 years, she STILL would never be able to even make a dent in the debt she has created. Once she does her prison time and she’s off parole or probation, there”s nothing more they can do to her . That’s the reality, sorry to say.
I agree Rick. But my way ,at least she would have to pay back some of it . Your way we pay all of it. Who’s really getting punishished ? The girl with one point five million ?
…..and here come more delays…now I’m thinking more lake late 2016 or early 2017 before anything gets resolved,whether it’s guilty or not guilty… maybe even longer.
Its apparent that there is a lot more to this case than meets the eye.
Get your popcorn ready. I have a suspicion this could open a Pandoras box for the county of inyo.
First of all she didn’t admit to what they allege. The D.A. took the the admission and turned it into 1.5 millions
Here how the judicial system for works.
1. Arrest
2. Arraignment. Judge asks you to say guilty or not guilty. She says not guilty
3. Preliminary hearing
4. trial. This is where you are presumed innocent till proven guilty. The D.A. must have evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that what she said was true. If they can prove it. She’s Guilty.
If they cannot. She’s not guilty
Now like it or not, this isn’t about innocent. Big difference.. this is about guilty or not guilty.
It would be nice if Americans understood the judicial system.
Don’t hate me I didn’t make the rules.
Warpaint, where would the world be without you? Get off yourself.